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How your commuting fuel cost is calculated
This calculator multiplies the total distance you drive each week by your car's fuel consumption and the price of fuel. Your weekly distance is 2 × one-way distance × round trips per week (each round trip takes you there and back). The calculator then divides by your fuel efficiency and multiplies by the fuel price to get a dollar amount.
In US units the formula is simply: weekly fuel cost = weekly miles ÷ MPG × $/gal. In metric it is weekly cost = weekly km × (L/100km ÷ 100) × $/L. Both give the same answer because the calculator converts everything to a common base behind the scenes — so you can switch units freely and the result will not change.
The monthly figure is your annual cost divided by 12, and the annual figure is your weekly cost multiplied by 52. These are estimates: your real fuel bill depends on traffic, road conditions, air-conditioning use, tyre pressure and driving style, all of which affect real-world fuel economy.
As a quick example, a 20-mile one-way commute five days a week adds up to 200 miles of driving per week. At 30 MPG and $3.50 per gallon, that works out to about $23.33 a week — roughly $101 a month and $1,213 a year. Choosing a 40 MPG car would drop the weekly cost to about $17.50, saving more than $300 a year on fuel alone.
How to lower your commute cost
- Drive less often — carpooling, remote work or public transit directly cut the number of round trips.
- Improve fuel economy — keep tyres inflated, remove roof racks, drive smoothly and maintain your engine.
- Choose a more efficient vehicle — use our car comparison calculator to see the long-term savings.
- Consider an EV — our EV charging calculator shows how much you could save on fuel.
For a single journey rather than a weekly commute, try the trip cost calculator.